STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK

"Starless and bible black" is considered King Crimson's sixth studio album even when only two of the eight songs that it contains, "Great deceiver" and "Lament", were actually recorded in a studio while the rest of the album was recorded alive. The album is mainly instrumental and with more improvised jams than actually rehearsed songs. If it wasn't because of the amazing musical skills that each member of King Crimson had, this would have been a very mediocre album, but fortunately, John Wetton, Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, and David Cross were all extremely talented musicians and knew how to improvise in the most elegant way.

Excellent guitar solos (especially the majestic closing track "Fracture"), a lot of bombastic drums everywhere, subtle and sensual violin lines, and a very hypnotic bass are the main elements of this selection of originally live-recorded songs. Maybe the lack of rehearsed music was a failure for this record but that doesn't make it a bad album at all, just an extremely unique album, very chaotic and obscure in some moments and very romantic and sweet in other ones, providing an exquisite contrast that floats around every time you play the album.

SONG RATING: The great deceiver, 5 Lament, 5 We'll let you know, 3 The night watch, 4 Trio, 3 The mincer, 3 Starless and bible black, 5 Fracture, 5

AVERAGE: 4.13

PERCENTAGE: 82.5

ALBUM RATING: 4 stars

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